Birth Name: Willard Christopher Smith Jr.
Birthdate: September 25, 1968
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Occupations: Actor, Musician
Quote: "It's a whole different thing being an actor. A rapper is about
being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who
you are. You make yourself a different person. You become a different
person." --Newsday, April 2, 1995

Biography
A charismatic African-American rap star and actor of film and TV and half of the
Grammy-winning duo D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Smith made his acting
debut in his own NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". As a nice, streetwise
kid from the Philadelphia 'hood adjusting to culture shock in moneyed Bel Air,
Smith offered a squeaky clean image of hip-hop culture which proved
nonthreatening to primetime values. He parlayed the hit series into a feature
acting career, debuting in a drama about teenage runaways entitled "Where the
Day Takes You" (1992) and following up with a supporting role in "Made in
America" (1993) with Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson.

His first lead in features was a dramatic stretch for the young performer. In
the film version of John Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation" (1993), Smith
played a young gay hustler and con man who ingratiates himself with an affluent
white couple by posing as the son of Sidney Poitier and a friend of their
children who are away at college. The demanding role required him to work with
an acting coach and a dialect coach three times a week for three months prior to
rehearsals. The part also called for a homosexual kiss that, even after being
paid, he refused to film. Despite some critical carping, Smith garnered largely
impressive notices for his portrayal amidst a cast of seasoned acting pros.

After this acclaim, Smith joined fellow sitcom star Martin Lawrence in the
smash "Bad Boys" (1995), turning their lot over to the hands of veteran
action-comedy producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. In the film, Smith
was Mike Lowery, a wild bachelor cop, and Lawrence was his partner, a family man
with the duo having to switch places to nab a heroin ring. He proved modestly
revelatory as a military pilot trying to save the USA from an alien invasion in
the sci-fi blockbuster "Independence Day" (1996) and followed with the equally
successful "Men in Black" (1997), teamed with Tommy Lee Jones and again hunting
alien lifeforms. The thriller "Enemy of the State" (1998) allowed him to display
both his charms and his action ability, both of which were also on display in
"Wild Wild West" (1999).